Life is like a Highway

In the past week, I've gone on two different roadtrips, been in 4 states, and have done over 30 hours of driving. I've spent a lot of time thinking during that time, and I've come up with an analogy, called "Life is like a Highway, and We are the Cars":

We all drive different cars—some are older models and some are brand new, some are faster and some are slower, some are bigger and some are smaller. Our cars are a variety of different makes, different models, different years, different colors, with different features and options. In life, we are like the cars, and just like our cars, we come in all shapes, all sizes, all ages, and all colors, with different individual gifts and strengths. When we go on road trips, we all have a destination that we are driving to. And in order to reach that destination, we have to take different highways. When we arrive there, and see what we want to see, then we turn around and head back toward home. When we chose to come to earth, we all took a roadtrip of sorts, a journey to come to life on earth, and our destination is now to return and make it back to our home in heaven. Before going on a roadtrip, I consult a map to decide which route is best. Our map in life’s journey is the scriptures; they help us to know which pathway is best for us to reach our destination.

As we drive on the highways, the road signs let us know how fast to go, when to slow down, where the curves in the road are, and when to stop. On the highway of life, the prophet and the apostles give us warnings and cautions and counsel us to help us know what to do.

Occasionally, even after consulting maps and trying to obey signs we get lost. We took a wrong exit or took the wrong turn at an intersection. If that happens, it's best to stop and get directions to get back to where we need to be. And so it is with life--sometimes we get off the path for a little bit, and we lose our way, but if we pray to our Heavenly Father and follow the Savior, we can quickly find our way back.

Some highways are rough, some are under construction, and some are newly paved. Some of us go through rough periods, with lots of bumps and breaks and there’s no shoulder to stop and take a rest, so we have to keep going forward. Some of us go through changes in our lives, and we’re forced to go through construction because there’s no detour to go around it. And some of us experience a rebirth and we’re like new again after changes take place.

Some highways have no intersections for miles, and there are no other cars on the road but ours for many miles. Some highways have lots of intersections within a few miles of each other, and we are joined by lots of other cars alongside ours. Sometimes we feel alone during times of our lives, and sometimes we cross paths with several others and we are surrounded by friends, either for a short time or for forever.

Some highways twist and turn around mountains, and some highways go straight through valleys. Sometimes in our lives, it seems that we go around and around, and it feels as though we’re going nowhere, but when we come out of all the twists and turns, we find ourselves on top and we can see below us and realize that all those twists and turns brought us to where we are now. Sometimes in our lives, our pathway seems easy, and all we have to do is go straight forward, and we’re grateful for the opportunity to relax and enjoy.

Some highways have bridges in order to connect two high spots or to bypass an area with structures or to go around another road. We also need support in our lives, some times more so than others.

Some highways are two lanes, and some are four or six or eight. Sometimes our choices in life are few, and other times, the choices are many.

Some highways seem endless, and some highways are short. Just like our lives: some are longer than others.

Sometimes on road trips, cars break down or get overheated or need tire changes. In that case, we know that we can go no further until we get the problem fixed. Even though it may cost us, it is essential to making it to the destination. The same is true in our lives: when we experience problems, we know we need to take care of ourselves and fix the problem and repent in order to get back on the road to eternity.

Ultimately, no matter the type of highway, or the type of car that we drive, the goal is to make it to the destination. And what a feat it is after we’ve returned from a long road trip: we are grateful for the experiences, we are happy for what we were able to see, but we are most happy to be home, and to sleep in our own beds again!! Just like how happy we will be to welcomed back home by our Heavenly Father and to be in his arms once again!